W E L C O M E !

The idea that a divorce (called “Dissolution” in Florida) can be “discreet” and “dignified” and “cost-effective” sounds too good to be true. INFORMATION & CHOICE are the keys to a successful divorce. A divorce is going to affect your life and those around you. If you have children, the divorce will have a direct effect on their lives. The effects are always going to be negative: financial decrease: emotional uncertainty and anxiety and feelings of powerlessness, whether it is from the idea of being alone or financial despair or wondering how your children will cope with this situation.

Here is the “Welcome!” news for you. You have choices you can make and the choices of you and your spouse can minimize the “negative” damage of a divorce. Consider this: If you do not have all of the information of your options then you do NOT have the ability to consider all the options that are best for you and your family.

Please review all the information in this website so you can become informed of your options to make better choices. You should shop for a “knowledgeable” and experienced “trial attorney”. My trial experience as a former prosecutor with the Office of the State Attorney for our 12th Judicial Circuit (Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto) from 1994 to 2003 and my trial experience litigating family law cases from 2003 to date and my passion to keep updated with family law by attending the certification course were reasons my former clients and current clients hire(d) me. Obviously, when you hire an attorney that is comfortable in a courtroom and understands the evidence code and current laws, you have more of a confidence. The reality is no attorney can give you a 100% guarantee of what decision a judge may make in your case. (If he/she says that he/she can give you a 100% guarantee then get it in writing with a money back guarantee). The simple reality is that the judge is an independent fact finder with his/her own views on the law and facts. There is a Sarasota County Circuit Judge that calls himself “stranger in a black robe”. He is absolutely correct. It seems irrational that spouses/families would allow a stranger to determine their finances and/or the time with their children and/or parenting of them.

My Epiphany/Paradigm Shift occurred when I participated in a 3 day collaborative law training in Tampa, Florida, hosted by Next Generation Divorce, of whom I am a proud member, and I am a general council member of our local Sarasota/Manatee Counties chapter of Next Generation Divorce. The training was March 20-22, 2014. Late in the second day of the training, I began to see/understand collaborative law is a process that gives you the power of choice. The process ensures knowledge is imparted to you: the attorneys inform on the law; the financial professionals inform on finances; the mental health professionals inform on emotional/behavioral issues.